Veela 'Witch of the Woods'
by Delan Cross
Summary: The war is over and the students prepare to take on their last year in Hogwarts. At his 17th birthday Draco Malfoy is confronted with the fact that he is actually a veela and in need of his mate. And who else would be more fit for that role than Harry Potter in all his glory? Rated M for future chapters, Yaoi, HarryxDraco, Enjoy :)
1. Coming of Age

**Disclaimer:** All rights to the characters obviously belong to J.K. Rowling , please enjoy :D

**1. Coming of Age**

Draco stood on the balcony together with his father enjoying the summer breeze, drinking fire whisky and watching the people below. It was a picture of relaxed enjoyment and no one but Lucius in sight to see it.

The Malfoy Manor shone in brilliant colors, wizards and witches jostled for positions on the crowded dance floor and a sweet mixture of perfume and sweat filled the air around. It was warm although the big glazings were wide open, building a strange contrast between the darkness of the summer-night and the reflection of the candles and magic lights in the hall. A dozen of tables around the perimeter of the dance floor ensured rest for older guests and those who preferred to sit a dance out.

This was clearly a celebration worthy of a Malfoy heir. Draco grinned content with himself and life. After Voldemort was defeated and no longer a threat to him and his family, thanks to their passive participation in the war, a few statements in their favor at court and some careful donations, the Malfoy name stood proud once more for prestige and money. The hardest part was already left behind them and the future seemed bright to Draco at that moment.

He closed his eyes, let the atmosphere flow through him and smiled a genuine smile.

"Draco." Lucius demanded his sons attention.

"Yes, father?"

"How are you feeling son?" Lucius Malfoy mustered his son and heir seriously.

"How am I feeling? Great. You excelled yourself with this party. Not only are here 200 guests of different ages gathered together, but they all seem to enjoy themselves nonetheless and I can brag later. 'Sides I'm finally seventeen today, meaning I can finally hex whoever I want after today, even outside school. What more could I wish for?" Draco grinned mischievously. He really looked forward to that previledge.

"Than you don't feel anything strange? Like a tingling sensation or I don't know, excitement?" Lucius pressed on.

"Emm, not particularly, no. Why?" Draco looked at his father worriedly. Why should he be feeling a tingling sensation?

"Oh!" His father sighed relieved and smiled at him happily. "It's nothing! Please forget it and continue to enjoy your party. Happy 17 Birthday, son!" Lucius hand fell on Draco's shoulder and he actually laughed.

"Eh? Oh, sure. Thank you father." Draco eyed the said father baffled and suspiciously. But before he could ask approaching footsteps made him turn around.

"Hi, darling." Narcissa Malfoy hugged her son fiercely. She looked at her husband.

"Alright. In one minutes time, exactly at 21: 28 sharp on the 5th of march our son will turn 17. Let's count down." Narcissa rubbed her hands nervously and looked at her wristwatch.

"What? But it turned 21:28 just now." Lucius came closer and they compared the time.

"Oh no, see... one of the watches is running wrong. I wonder if it had been 21:28 yet..." The parents eyed their son completely distressed.

Draco in return tried to stifle a laugh.

"You know, I appreciate you caring about the time I was born, but it would be enough to just celebrate the day. I don't particularly care about the exact time."

But the two remained quiet and continued eyeing him suspiciously.

"Do you feel anything uncommon? Somehow strange, Draco love?" Narcissa held her arm-watch close and continued looking closely at him.

"Why are the two of you asking me that? I'm fine and enjoying my coming of age party. At least I was a few minutes ago." The joy of the occasion was still in his features, but a frown was melting it all away fast. He clearly grew irritated at his parents strange behavior. Maybe the two of them had too much to drink?

"Alright. Do you feel anything, Draco? It's 21:28 sharp." The last part came out a bit strained. The two adults were bending over the wristwatch, looking between their son and the time back and forth.

"No! I don't feel anything! What's wrong with the two of you?!" Draco pressed through his teeth, irritation and anger clear in his voice. But his parents just continued staring at him, their concentrated expressions slowly softening up and Lucius smiling widely again. Was that disappointment in his mothers face?

"So it's a no huh? Well! Never mind! Happy birthday, my love!" Narcissa finally let her watch out of sight and hugged Draco again. Lucius slapped him on the shoulder again, grinning like a mad man and rubbed his hands joyfully.

"Well, now that the danger is averted, let's get something to drink! This calls for a toast!"

The two turned to walk back into the hall.

"Wait! You can't just up and leave! What was that...hah." His glass with a rest of fire whiskey fell out of his hand and shattered on the marble floor.

Once as a child he had decided to climb the old tree in the backyard. He didn't come up far as his foot slipped and he lost hold. The fall was short but it felt so long as his whole life. The thing that stuck in mind even after all those years was the hit. Not the pain from it, but the feeling of every last bit of oxygen being knocked out of him, till he was left with no air to breathe. His brain screamed for air, but it took him some long seconds of pure terror, till his body was finally able to react and fill his lungs with life again.

That state of breathlessness was exactly the same as right now. Nothing terrified him more, as his body bended over and his knees buckled underneath him, his lungs refused to let the much needed air inside.

"The potion, Lucius, the potion! Hurry! Draco.."

Then everything turned black around him.

* * *

When he came to not much had changed. The summer night enveloped him and a breeze caressed his hair.

"Draco?"

The voice seemed a bit distant but his squinted eyes told him that his mother was kneeling there right next to him.

"Mom..."

"Yes, yes darling. I'm here, please stay calm. You are alright for now."

Alright? No, Draco certainly didn't feel alright at all. He had just fainted for a moment hadn't he? Why was he left breathless all of the sudden? He was fine just seconds before only slightly irritated. Thats right, his parents did act strange just before. Did they know something? The questions were just swirling in his head, making him feel nauseous and weak. Just then Lucius came into his line of sight.

"Drink this, Draco. You are already over the worst part of it but you seem to need another potion to come to your senses. Here." And gently the older Malfoy helped Draco gulp it all down. It tasted horrible. Like piss and asphodel and bat blood... oh, he should stop thinking about the taste or he would throw up. Still, as bad as it tasted, Draco's head cleared up immediately and he sat up without help this time. His head had stopped spinning as well.

"What happened? What is this?! You know something don't you?!" He knew his voice sounded embarrassingly panicked but he couldn't help it really. That feeling of being left with no air was the worst feeling he knew and it instilled immediate terror inside him.

"Yes, we know what it's about, darling. Though this is really not the right place to talk and our guests would be very worried if they noticed you here on the floor, so let's go inside darling, alright? We can talk there. And no, you don't need to be afraid. Don't worry, it will be alright soon." His mother said softly and stroked her hand through his hair. This had never missed its desired effect and Draco started calming down a bit. Yet compared to other times, his heart continued to beat slightly faster than normal and uneasiness remained in his heart.

He hurriedly stood up, a bit shaky still and let his parents lead him away inside the mansion toward his fathers study. They always assembled there if there were important matters to discuss.

He slouched in an armchair and stared at his parents expectantly.

"What's going on? I probably need a doctor, not some books. My chest hurts and the ache is spreading throughout my whole body already..." Draco barely whispered. The potion had cleared his mind, but his body felt exhausted and every cell screamed. The walk to the study hadn't helped and he was breathing hard.

But the adults didn't seem as eager to begin their explanation of todays events as Draco was in hearing them. They each summoned armchairs for themselves instead and sat down slowly. He wished they would just spill it already, but there was no use trying to hurry it along. It would probably have the opposite effect as his dear mother would probably slow the pace purposefully instead, out of her sheer stubbornness.

"Well... Narcissa." Lucius looked at his wife hopefully.

"No! I told you right from the start that he was going to be one, but you wouldn't listen. You only have yourself to thank for the consequences."

"How was I to know!? It was better to wait than act prematurely. The chances of him becoming one were next to nothing!"

"Yes, but he is one and I was proven right! It was to be expected, after all you are nearly one yourself! It was pure coincidence that you were not in Draco's shoes!"

"Still, the chances.."

"I am what?" Draco couldn't restrain himself and interrupted both before a full scale war started in his household, at his birthday party, while he was waiting for some answers.

"Emm..." His father was at a loss for words again.

"Oh, get over yourself and be a man. Draco, darling, you are a Veela. Not a pureblooded veela but a veela nonetheless. It's in your genes."

The bomb landed and was met with acute silence. And it stretched on and on, till Draco exploded in return.

"Excuse me? I am what?!"

"A Veela! Listen to us Draco. It's not like it's our fault. You were born one. If you can't fix it, you gotta live with it!" Lucius retorted at once, looking sternly at his son.

"Oh, stop saying it like it's the end of the world, for god's sake Lucius! This was to expected after we tested his blood and found out, that he was likely to become one. Look at him! Well, or rather remember how he looked like ten minutes before! The white blond hair, the grey eyes, the beauty and charm that all girls fall for! You just didn't want to see it, Lucius, admit it!"

"So what!? I always only tried to preserve the hope that my son would be free and not compelled to grovel to some stranger!"

"Grovel?! How is finding true love related to groveling?! You should be happy your son got the gift we both miss and can find his soul mate! How many wish for it do you think?! But no witch or wizard had been able to attain that knowledge. A gift reserved to strong Veelas only!"

"Gift?! It's a curse! Don't sugarcoat it!"

"It's a gift and the envy of the whole damn magic realm, Lucius! You just don't-"

Draco felt compelled to butt in once more.

"Excuse me!? A veela here, waiting for some answers! Would the two of you please concentrate."

The couple puffed and huffed as if they had run a marathon, only remembering the presence of their son at that moment. Red colored their cheeks and Lucius coughed slightly to overcome his embarrassment. This was clearly not the first time they had that talk.

"Yes, well. You see, pure-bloods are bound to have some magical creature in their bloodline as their magic is the purest and strongest on earth. We overcome that with other advantages, but cannot escape the truth that some become compelled to begin a relationship with them. And it just so happens that it is a veela for us." Lucius broke off not knowing how to continue.

"You see, darling, back in the days some of our ancestors married veelas, because they were their soul mates. And that strengthened our bloodline and magic. As well as increased our beauty." The last part was added with a smile and a wink at him from his mother as she continued on. "And well, not only has your father veela blood but me as well, though much less concentrated and less powerful. You being our child inherited both bloodlines and were born a Veela. Now our controversy...well, it is linked with the pain you had felt on the balcony." And here his mother broke off and looked invitingly at her husband.

"Yes. Our controversy has no worth at the moment, because for the better or the worst, which I think, you were born exceptionally strong. And not only did you inherit some traits like the blond hair, but also magical power. And as we found out at 21:28 sharp, the exact moment you were born and now turned 17, you also inherited the curse, excuse me, gift to know your soul mate. It always reveals itself at the coming of age moment of the veela. The pain you felt moments before indicates that your own soul has found him and is now calling out to you to find your mate. The potion we gave you only contains that call temporarily and it has to be taken every two hours to work. There is also the problem that your body has already begun building antibodies against it and the potion will begin loosing it's effectivity soon."

Lucius Malfoy decided to stop there and let his son digest the shock. It's not everyday you get told there is your destined soul mate waiting for you somewhere.

"It's not gone."

"Pardon?"

"The pain, it's not gone. Only number." Draco lifted his head to watch his parents freeze in shock.

"Damn! This is bad! You should have told something sooner Draco!" It was rare to see his mother swearing. She usually felt herself above it.

"Why? It's not normal?"

"No, it's not. I should have suspected something when you fainted! This means that your mate is far away. Usually the mate is born somewhere near, it just happens like that, because you belong together. Accordingly the pain gets greater the further you're apart..."

Narcissa was clearly panicking. As if searching England for one person wasn't hard enough. Now the whole world was open for the hunt. It's like searching for one special grain of sand on a beach!

"So then... my mate is outside the country?" Draco barely whispered. He really needed a drink. Or two.

His parents nodded uneasily. Drago tried to proceed the information again.

"So to sum it up: I am not any wizard, but a veela, strong to boot and apparently I even have a soul mate destined for me. And the pull in my chest that is driving me crazy is actually an indicator for me, that my so-called soul-mate is not even in England. No I have to search the whole world for him. Oh, not to forget that the damn potion isn't capable of stilling the ache and is gradually begin to lose it efficiency. Something else you would like to inform me about? Maybe how I can actually find said mate or switch it to someone else or EVEN BETTER GET RID OF IT ALTOGETHER!? PLEASE DO ADD SOME MORE SPICE TO MY BORING LIFE!"

Drago was getting into stride, speaking faster and faster with bitting sarcasm as he listed the new rules defining his life anew, until he finally snapped and started screaming. He wanted to bash and hit and scream at anybody. The quivering in his body was getting stronger as the two potions wore off and soon he wouldn't even be able to rely on them anymore, as they were losing their efficiency with every intake. But the worst part was the longing. Yes longing. Not an hour has passed, but everything before already felt like another life.

A life where he was content with himself and the world. A life without this pain and anguish. Without veela or soul mate in it. He was as mentally stable as anybody in his surrounding, relieved at the end of the war and happy.

Now however, every cell in his body screamed. And he knew it screamed for his soul mate, somewhere out there, not even in England. He wanted to go to that place, he wanted to be near his soul mate even more than he wanted this ache to stop and that frightened him. He hadn't even met that person yet and still he was yearning for him. How would it be when he finally found him? His father called it groveling, but Draco was sure that no Malfoy grovels before another.

How come he had to be born a veela? And how come no one had considered it necessary to give him some prior warning? Something like 'Draco, you are a veela by the way and soon you will be going crazy with the need to go to your soul mate' would have been nice. He, Draco Malfoy, a veela!

Life truly was messed up at times.

* * *

**A reviewer made a good point: there can't be a 3/4 Veela. So let's just go with active Veela blood. Dracos heritage simply resurfaced strongly inside of him - genetics and all that - so he is not a pureblood veela but it's quite strong in him nonetheless.


	2. Cat and Mouse

**2. Cat and Mouse**

Harry rummaged through his trunk. It was a bother to unpack his clothes every time they arrived at their destination, so he just used his trunk as a closet. Though thanx to his negligence all of them were crinkled and clearly needed a cleansing. Right now he had the choice between a shirt he had already worn five times but that still looked if not smelled rather clean and a shirt he had only worn once but had a stain on the shoulder from dragon spit.

After a bit of thought he chose the dragon spit shirt, deciding to cover up the spot with a jersey. Satisfied with his final looks, he hurriedly skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Molly was busily preparing breakfast with Ginny and Fleur at her side.

"Oh, Harry love. Good morning! Have you slept well? Ron and the twins are in the backyard gnome controlling if you want them."

"Yes, good morning to you all too. I will be on my way then."

Without a second glance he was gone. The backyard was filled with noise as the three brothers chased down gnomes and swirling them till they were dizzy and throwing them over the fence. To make the everyday activity more enjoyable the brothers made it a game at how far they could throw them. They also demanded extra points if they managed to hit a target they named beforehand. Without hesitation Harry joined in the fun.

Back at the Burrows Ron and his siblings had to exterminate the gnomes nearly every day and so it was a routine chore for them, but Harry was still unused to it and had fun throwing the gnomes around. They were done soon anyway as there were much less gnomes at Fleurs than in the Burrows.

"Hey, Harry. Slept well?" Ron came over panting a bit and red in the face.

"Had nice dreams.."

"...of beautiful maidens..."

"...on brooms?"

Damn those twins!

"Nothing like that. Good morning to you too. Shall we grab breakfast?" It was probably better to direct their attention elsewhere.

"Sure..."

"...wouldn't want to lose flesh for the fair maidens." They sniggered and headed inside.

And as much as Ron tried to, he couldn't hide his amusement.

"Yeah, alright. Come on and laugh. Get it off your chest."

Harry waited patiently till Ron calmed down again.

"Sorry, Harry. But you wouldn't believe me yesterday and I warned you."

"Yes, yes. I will never eat one of their cakes again. Who would believe it, that it actually influences your dreams!"

"Well, thats why the name is 'Sweet Dreams'. But really..hahahah...you really should work on your habits of talking during sleep...haha..."

Ron continued shaking with silent laughter as we went inside and Harry just tried his best to hide his embarrassment.

"Harry is it true that you talk during your sleep?" That stopped him dead in his tracks and he turned around to face the wide grin of his godfather.

"Drop it Sirius. Or I will put you on a chain." Harry growled threateningly. But sadly it missed the desired effect.

"Now, now. No need to be ashamed! It just proves that you're a healthy young male. Now when I was young..."

Thankfully Harry never got to find out that happened when Sirius was young, because Molly butted in and cut off the one sided conversation, directing everyones attention to the table. Just think about it! How could he have suspected that the delicious cake 'Sweet Dreams' had that kind of virtue. And he really couldn't do anything about himself sleep-talking.

"So Harry, are you gonna come along? William is at work tonight and Fleur would probably appreciate a break, so how about we explore Paris today?" Ginny was on fire. Shopping, shopping and more shopping. The city of romance would maybe even work some wonders to her love life. Men of France were going to get it today.

"Sure, nothing else to do anyway." And so it was decided. Ron and Hermione went on a date alone, but Fred and George tagged along too and after a bit of persuasion Molly and Arthur Weasley had decided to go exploring too.

Paris was much better than Romania, when they visited Charlie. At least they were no dragons to spit on his shirt or burn him to a crisp or eat him. But not that much better in every other aspect. The married couple parted ways with them after a while to have a romantic day, Molly giggling and blushing with Arthur smilingly whispering into her ear. It was actually better they went away, because even though they were happy for them, the children clearly found it quite disturbing. Some thing are better left in private.

George and Fred both soon found some girls to hook up with and that left Harry and Ginny by themselves. Ginny was interested in the male population but even more in the boutiques and so Harry was degraded to the level of porter. Every time they left a boutique one more bag dangled down his arm. After six hours he begged Ginny to give him some rest and out of the kindness of her heart Ginny actually complied.

They hunted down a nice little shop, ordered lunch and iced lemonade and relaxed in the sun rays.

"So Harry. A girl on a broom?"

Harry gave a loud groan and buried his face in his hands. Ginny sniggered.

"Don't worry, I will take that story to my grave. But you really shouldn't sleep with other people in the room."

"Yes, yes. God, I just embarrassed myself for life. I'm never eating that cake again."

Ginny chuckled.

"It's fine. But you no longer have to fear for the lives of those close to you. Maybe the dream is an indicator for you to pick up the pieces of your life again and try to find happiness Harry. You need to find someone to love and fall back in love with you."

"I know..but.. it's hard...to begin anew. I can't really explain it..." Harry sighed unintentionally, rubbing the bak of his head.

"No need to. Ron and Hermione have the same problem and Hermione explained it to me the best she could. IT's hard to find back into everyday life right? Ever since you entered the magic realm your life and those close to you has been in danger. Now all the danger is gone and there is no evil overlord chasing you and trying to kill you. You have never experienced that freedom before, right? With no danger lurking around the next corner."

Harry nodded.

"Yeah, but It's more than that. 'Mione and Ron have each other, they are not the ones who lived and they had known normal life before they met me. But it's the first time for me to be free from my relatives, my past and everything else. I can't simply meet up with anyone, because it's likely they are only after my money and fame. They imagine me to be a hero and are disappointed when they see that I'm just normal. Even boring most of the time. At least you knew the real me. But there are no females who I could date like that around."

"Yeah, I see that you mean... But you will still need to search Harry. The whole world may be focused on you and you may be the most wanted bachelor around, but you still need to find your happiness. You deserve it Harry Potter. Since when have you started backing down from a challenge?"

For the first time since the start of their conversation a smile broke onto Harry's face. Ginny really knew him well. Too bad it hadn't worked out between them yet moment like this made him realize anew why he loved his friend.

"I guess I will have to take up the challenge and utilize my new found freedom. What do you think? Has Hogwarts got anyone to match my beauty and wit?"

Ginny giggled now too. She was glad she had managed to cheer Harry up. It really was hard for all of them to adjust. It was like a storm had blown by and now everyone who had fought in the war had to pick up the pieces of their life and put them together again. Some parts were irreparable and had to be replaced, some needed time to grieve, some time to rest. Harry more than anyone.

As hard as it was to imagine life continued on.

"So what's next? We had been to Charlie's, Fleur's, Paris. Anywhere else to visit?"

"We had been on the road for almost two months already. I'm exhausted. Two days at Bill's more and we are going back I heard. Dad wanted to go to the ocean for at least another week, but thankfully mom intervened. We need to pack for our last year in Hogwarts. I have to properly prepare for my N.E.W.T this year too. And you need to best your exam. By the way, let me treat you to another drink."

"Why?"

"Obviously to congratulate you to your nomination as Head boy. I already did congratulate 'Mione, only you are left. Following the tradition huh?"

"Yeah. Can't let my parents down." Harry smiled. The nomination had come as a surprise, even though he could have expected it. It made him proud that he was able to fill out the position his parents held back in the days.

"Well, let's get going. You can drink on the way, head boy. I saw a great boutique on the way here."

And off they were again. Really Harry wished suddenly that Ginny had less money again, but the ministry and wizards were thankful and had showered the winners of the war with galleons. No neither of the participants needed to worry about money for a while. It was a beautiful day, he was shopping with Ginny and drinking iced lemonade.

And just a little bit, he found it easier to breathe.

* * *

Draco was devastated. He was completely and utterly crushed.

His skin was dry and irritated, his white blond hair fell into his face straggly and unkempt, his clothes hung on him like sacks and his eyes were framed by black circles. Even though he was a veela he looked awful. Really awful. And he felt even worse.

It has been two months now and the ache inside his body was becoming unbearable as the potion was having less and less effect, barely providing him with relief for a few precious minutes a day. He was eating less and less every day, becoming skinnier and skinnier in the process. Malnourished as he was it started affecting his skin and hair. His muscles reduced considerably and he barely could bring up the energy to visit the bathroom in the last couple of days. And worst of all he just didn't manage to get a good nights rest. Every night he awoke several times with thoughts of his mate on his mind, frantically looking around in search of him and never finding him. Those late nights left him with a feeling of loss and despair, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.

And he just couldn't find him.

His parents were mad with worry. The day after the party was over, the three immediately embarked on a journey overseas, throwing money left and right to obtain portkeys which allowed them to be fast and leave fast if the mate was in the opposite direction to reduce Draco's pain as much as possible. After the extensive search they did, nothing came up. Just as they thought they came close to his mate, his presence disappeared again and appeared somewhere else. This only allowed the conclusion that his mate was traveling.

So no his soul mate was not only overseas, he was also traveling from place to place. If you had just decided that yes he could be in Paris and you come close to him, your heart hammering with happiness and anticipation already and then suddenly the ache hits anew as his presence vanishes, such experiences had left all of them at the brink of tears. And that had happened three times. Just as Draco thought, that yes he finally was close and maybe he would be lucky this time, his chest rising with hope, ...his soul mate disappeared the next day.

And just like that Draco was left without the energy to go and find his soulmate. He was at the edge of a mental breakdown and every minute was like balancing on a slim thread, that could give away under his feet the next moment, trowing him into despair.

The only thing he was now sure about, was that said soul mate was a witch or wizard, because the pain of loss always hit him suddenly and was not the steadily building up kind through slow traveling. His mate was using port-keys.

He didn't even care about gender, blood or relations anymore. For all he cared it could be a poor, mud-blood wizard in his worst case szenario. Draco just wished for his soul mate to find him and embrace him. He was ready for anything.

His parents had brought him back to Malfoy Manor, doing everything to lessen his discomfort. Lucius contacted other veela's asking for advice but there was nothing they could do. He contacted potions masters asking and inquiring about any way, anything really to give his son at least a good nights rest. But just as Severus had told him, there was nothing to be done. Veela's existed outside the realm of the normal wizard world and as Draco's pain directly resulted from his soul at the strain of being away from his soul mate, there was nothing more to be done. No potion was able to cure a soul. Severus Snape stayed at Malfoy Manor nonetheless, trying to ease Draco's pain and brewing him those horrible potions to at least ensure a few moments rest.

Narcissa was at the end of her nerves. In the beginning she still believed that everything would be fine, but instead it was becoming worse and worse as the days went by. She was ready to do anything by now to stop this. Everyday her son wilted more like a flower without water and at the end stood death awaiting every veela failing to find her mate. She even ran an article in the Prophet, asking the wizardly community for clues and support at finding Draco's traveling mate and offered a hefty sum for useful information. But nothing had come up.

She had never imagined for things to turn out this bad. Now, just as her husband, she thought that the veela gift was more of a curse and regretted ever looking forward to Draco finding his soulmate. Neither of the two cared anymore if it was a pure-blood, half-blood or even a muggle at the other end of the line, they just prayed for him to stay in one place for longer than two weeks and finding him. It didn't matter if it was love, Narcissa was ready to give the stranger her entire fortune to lessen Draco's pain. If they didn't find him soon or at least managed to close the distance, Draco would die and both parents dreaded that result.

* * *

"This sucks!" Ron Weasley rummaged through his trunk. He had already packed it all yesterday, but he had also accidentally packed in some of Harrys stuff and was now unpacking again, trying to part the clothes.

Harry on the other hand hadn't particularly cared if not for his jacket as they would have the chance to split their clothes once they were back at the Burrows. After the war ended and Voldemort dead, there was finally no reason for him to continue living at his aunts house. He had already become a permanent resident at Ron's and would be moving out into his own flat after finishing his last school year. He already waited expectantly for his 17 birthday, when he would finally be able to do magic outside of school without breaking the law. Thankfully the ministry had decided to let last year slip, as he and his friends defeated the evil overlord and saved the wizarding world. Well, that much had to be expected.

He leaned heavily onto his trunk and slammed it shut. From behind him he heard another satisfying slam following and both males sighed in relief.

"You know, I really wonder how my sis is going to get all the clothes she bought into her trunk."

"Ah, I know that one. Hermione charmed it with the undetectable extension charm. Now everything fits."

Ron hit his face with his hand and groaned.

"I should have thought of that...damn it."

They hauled their trunks down and went to say their goodbyes to Bill and Fleur.

"Damn. Fleur looks so good. How come Bill was able to get her?"

Those careless words were met with instant punishment in the form of Hermione.

"Oh, so my boyfriend would actually like a veela as a girlfriend?! Maybe we should go and search for one for you! So I'm not beautiful enough or what! Well, forgive me then for being ugly, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione was fuming with anger.

"No! No, that's not that I meant 'Mione. I'm sorry! Please forgive me! You know I love you!"

"So you love me!? But you still-"

At this point Harry turned away. It would be over soon, but as funny as it was, he wanted to spare his friend the embarrassment of groveling and pleading in front of him. Well, maybe he should stay a while, as revenge for two days ago?

"Kids! Guys! Come on, the port-key will activate soon, we're going home! Hurry, hurry! Three minutes left!" Arthur Weasley waved at them.

Hurriedly everybody assembled, grabbing the port-key and screaming their goodbyes. With that the vacation was over and soon it would be time to leave for school one last time.

* * *

"Haa...ahhhhh..."

"Draco!? What's wrong? Are you in pain?! Can I do something?!"

His parents and Snape rushed to his side. To everyones astonishment tears flowed out of Draco's eyes.

"Here...he's here. He's close to me." His voice still quiet, was still the strongest throughout the last couple of days.

Draco's eyes were glazed, he completely ignored the tears escaping his eyes, looking into the distance and revering in the happiness that was his mate. He was close, Draco felt it with every part of his being, physically and mentally. There were still walls between them, streets and maybe cities. But no longer the ocean. No, his mate was in England.

For the first time since the awakening of his veela heritage the ache and longing had subdued and became bearable. His mate still was too far apart from him for his liking, but he was the closest to him since a months time and that thought filled Draco with unimaginable happiness. His mate was close. Everything would be alright.

And with a relieved smile on his lips and steady breathing Draco slipped into the world of dreams.

* * *

*yeah, I know... some of you may have realized that I have made Draco and Harry both one year younger. Overlook it if you don't like it or don't and take it as part of the story. I just wanted to leave Voldemort out of the picture, as he annoys me and I will also keep most characters such as Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Sirius Black and Fred Weasley. Why? 'Cause I loooove them! Hogwarts just isn't the same without Dumbledore :) Sue me :x


	3. The Calm before the Storm

**3. The Calm Before the Storm**

The clock struck midnight and the new day was greeted by Harry sitting on the window sill, watching the full moon enlightening the dark deep summer night. He listened to the bell striking twelve times and breathed on the glass. Then he wrote down with his finger: 'Happy Birthday Harry'.

He involuntarily got reminded of his eleventh birthday. The day the little giant Hagrid slammed down his door and introduced him to the world of magic. And now six years later here he sits. Not quite a full wizard yet, but still one of most famous wizards of modern times. He needn't worry about money all his life. He was alone no longer, listening to the deep breathing of Ron. He had a real family and a place to call home. So many things had changed since that day and not everything was good and rosy but he didn't regret any moment of it.

He went to Hogwarts for the first time after he had discovered his heritage and now at seventeen he was legally an adult and leaving there for the last time. Now in retrospect the time since then has just blown by.

Just like that Harry remained seated on the cool window sill with his head leaning against the glass, looking outside and reminiscating about the time past.

Till the sun greeted the 31 of July and radiated crimson-red in the morning sky.

* * *

Draco Malfoy awoke suddenly. His eyes snapped open, breathing heavily he looked around. Only to see himself alone. His eyes tingled with loneliness. This hadn't happened for nearly a week already and the feeling of loneliness swept over him in all its raw force and left him shivering under the warm sheets.

For a few panicked minutes he was afraid that his mate had moved on, save to notice that nothing had changed after all. The pulsating feeling in his chest was the same as ever albeit stronger. It felt like someone was trying to pull his heart out of his chest. His solitude coaxed out a tear at last, which made Draco energetically cast away the covers and barefooted as he was, he stumbled to his fathers study.

As expected candle light shone from under the door, casting strange and dancing shadows in the corridor. His parents slept even less than he himself, trying to find a clue on where to look for his mate. With a short knock on the door, he let himself in. Immediately his feet sank into the soft carpet underneath and the fire swaying in the chimney warmed his heart. Silently he came over and relaxed into an armchair, pulling his feet underneath him.

"Draco, darling, is something wrong? Can't sleep?" His mother came over and sat down on the edge, stroking a hand through his hair.

Never would he admit to feeling lonely by himself in his room, so Draco simply nodded and leaned into her touch. He imagined it to be his mates hand and felt comforted.

"Would you like a potion?" Snape asked hesitantly. His godfather was trying his hardest to make his potions helpful to him yet there was only so much a man could do.

"No." Draco sighed. "I'm fine. Don't worry, my mate is still in England." This time it was the others to sigh in relief. "The pull just got stronger and it woke me up. Wanted to see how things are going."

He didn't want to admit that he wanted company. The others exchanged a look.

"The pull got stronger? Are you sure he's still here in England?" Lucius clarified.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It doesn't feel like the line had stretched, just that the pull grew stronger on the other end."

Snape clapped his hands together excitedly and laughed. He was met with three pairs of questioning gazes.

"I know about it and it's actually helpful to us at the moment. I have read about it in a report of a veela who had spent almost a year searching for her mate. There are good news and bad news. Unlike that most wish for, I will start with the good ones. The good news is that this stronger pull may indicate that Draco's mate has also turned 17 yesterday or today. We will need to check both dates as the time is as important as the date. You wouldn't know when you had felt the change for sure, Draco, would you?"

Draco shook his head negating the question. He wondered what his mates birthday had to do with it.

"How is that helpful?" Narcissa asked lacking understanding still.

"He's a legal adult now! He can work magic outside school and the ministry supervision spell was removed!" Lucius called excitedly and also clasped his hands together.

"Exactly. The ministry should have a list of all young wizards and witches who celebrated their birthday today or yesterday. One of them is our target. This eliminates a whole lot and those who are not in England at the time can be removed as well!"

Now everybody was smiling excitedly. Finally a starting point in this fruitless search. Draco couldn't believe his luck. But then a thought crossed his mind and he frowned.

"What about the bad news then?"

Everyone looked expectantly at Severus who just spread his arms and shrugged.

"We're in trouble if he moves on before we can find him. Remember how painful it was for Draco with his mate still underage. Now the magic had recognized that his mate is ready for bonding and it will be that much more painful to be apart from him."

It felt like a cold bucket of water was splashed onto Draco's head. If it was unbearable before, just how much worse would it get? And the potion hardly had any effect at all by now. Draco realized at that moment that he would die. If his mate left England again, he would most likely lose his sanity or commit suicide. He wasn't sure which of the two he preferred.

The happy and relieved faces around him had changed into grim ones.

"We could be wrong..." Narcissa mumbled under her breath.

"But this is the only clue we have." Lucius banged his fist onto the table.

Truly this was the only clue they had. Lucius looked at the faces around him and noticed that though grim, they were also determined.

Lucius Malfoy burst out the door as soon as the sun rose. He had to hurry and find his sons mate or Draco would die. If the mate had just gotten of age and reached maturity, the ministry will have stopped observing his magical activity at once. He would be able to get his hands on the list with a few threats and favors - truly the minister had no other choice anyway. If he refused, all Lucius needed to do was go public and reveal that the ministry refused to help a veela find his mate. Under the law of veela the denial of a reasonable help request was handled as attempted murder. No, it was truly not an option for the minister to deny Lucius' request.

* * *

Harry was greeted with loud cries of congratulation. Without meaning to, he had fallen asleep on the window sill and now felt stiff and overtired. Yet he still greeted everyone with a sunny smile and blinking eyes. Luckily for him, he always looked as disheveled as he felt today, so no one besides Ron knew of his suffering. And he wouldn't show any mercy, as Harry only had himself to blame anyway.

The kitchen was decorated in warm golden, orange and red tones with a big cake as the centre of the room, nearly denting the table with the additional delicacies surrounding it, that effectively made Harry drool.

"Oh Molly. You outmatched yourself today. Thanks so much!" That attentiveness affected him deeply. It truly was like coming home. Soon he was next to said good old fairy godmother, hugging her and spinning her around once in his arms.

"Harry, Harry! Darling! You can't just do this to old little me! This much is expected and now seat down and enjoy your birthday. Sirius and some others will all come to visit and celebrate in the evening."

She hushed them all to the table and though she would probably deny it, she was happy for such a heartfelt thank you. It really made the effort seem worth it. Faint pink colored her cheeks and a shy smile decorated her lips, while she wielded her wand, cutting the monstrous cake of chocolate with mouse and peanuts into bite-size pieces and distributing them on the plates. Mr. Weasley promptly placed a kiss on her cheek, putting a seal on Mrs. Weasleys happiness and lowered himself on the bench, enjoying his breakfast.

Squashed between Hermione and Ron, Harry dug in, complementing the cake and chef at the same time. The other dishes were also all of his favorite ones and, with active support from the Weasley's and Hermione, gone in a flash. Harry decided to wait with unpacking his gifts till the other guests arrived in the evening and instead climbed up the stairs again, taking a swift shower and making himself look more presentable. Afterwards he skipped down the stairs in a hurry, having agreed to play quidditch with Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny. Bill and Fleur decided to refrain, taking a walk with their baby instead still tired from arriving just yesterday, while Charlie and Percy hadn't arrived yet.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, I will be back in a sec. I forgot that I placed my broom upstairs instead of the shed." Harry remembered halfway to the shed already and turned around.

"Wait!" Ron's called him back and ran up to him. "You're 17, you buffoon. Use your wand! I can't believe you hadn't casted a spell yet."

The others watched expectantly as Harry grinned, took out his wand and cried: -"_Accio_, broom!"

And just like that the broom landed in his outstretched hand. George and Fred clasped Harry on the back, congratulating him on losing his underage-forbidden magic charm virginity. And truly, what better way to use his first legal wand spell on than his broom. Laughing and joking the group made their way to the shed, got their brooms and left for the field.

They made teams of three against three: Ron and Hermione obviously on the same team, joined by Fred, who decided it would be fun to compete with George. That left Harry, Ginny and George for the other team. Ginny made the goalkeeper, as Hermione for the opposite team and the others made the attackers. The game began rather balanced as each team shot one goal after another. Than the balance started to shift in Harry's teams favor. He landed three goals in a row and George managed to outmaneuver Fred twice, scoring two goals and making the other swear bitterly and let two balls past in return and fended off five in return and they were still in the lead after. As such they were the first ones to score twenty goals and won their first game.

"Game set and won by team red! Team loser is getting another chance. Not that it will be of much use!" George taunted their opponent and gave out high fives. Ginny made a flip to show off their superiority.

"We will see, team pompous. Change courts!" Fred playfully retorted back.

And so with the same teams and only rotating the positions they continued to play till Arthur's loud voice called them down for dinner. They had been so engrossed with the game, that they missed the fact that it was getting dark already, being early evening.

This caused some ashamed laughs as they made their way back. The advantage was that Harry didn't feel sleepy at all anymore, his blood rushing through his veins quickly and giddy with excess energy, the adrenalin and enjoyment of the game had caused. He really looked forward to this evening now.

Charlie, Sirius, Remus and Tonks had joined in the fun and came to congratulate Harry. Tonks was off duty and pregnant with a baby girl. The pregnancy was becoming her, she shone with happiness and Remus was finally wearing clothes that didn't make him look like a beggar. After a few pointers the ministry employed him as a spy and messenger in the Magical Beings Control squad. He climbed up the ladder quite fast. And of course they let all charges towards Harry's godfather fall and had to pay a hefty sum for locking him up in Askaban for thirteen years. It sure paid up to be on the winning side and the hero of a nation.

The celebration lasted long into the night.

* * *

"Teranda Sebuli, Conrad Haues, Sendel Chackes, Neville Longbottom, Amanda Reese,..." And so on and so on continued the list Lucius read aloud. 28 names of witches and wizards in total, of which 7 were outside the country.

"Well, at least this gives us a countable number of suspects. We have very little to go on anyway. Let's check them all out and see if the mate is one of them."

"But Cissy, Draco is too weak to go and visit all of them. And even if he manages to pull it off it will also take a lot of time." Lucius tapped his fingers against the paper. A thoughtful silence occurred.

"Well then! If we can't bring Draco to them, we will simply take them to Draco." Narcissa declared to the baffled crowd.

Said and done. You really couldn't accuse Narcissa Malfoy of waisting time as the invitations for a summer ball were sent out that same evening already and all people on the list of the ministry, also happened to be on the guest list. Draco sat on the window sill and followed after the embarking owls with his eyes, till they disappeared behind the horizon.

If everything went well in a weeks time happiness would have a name.


	4. Summersault

**4. Summersault**

The train puffed invitingly. Twelve minutes before eleven a.m. and Harry, Hermione and the Weasley's rushed to the Platform 9 3/4 on London's King Cross Station.

It has already become tradition to arrive almost late for the drive. Even though all was packed and everyone close and partly already seated in the car. But there was never everyone in the said car. Mr. Weasley started the motor three times before they all rolled off. Fist time they had nearly forgotten Ginny, who had jumped out the car to retrieve her owl. Second time Hermione had remembered that no, she hadn't brought her trunk down yet and it was still up in her room. Which required Arthur Weasley's help to squash said trunk into the boot. And the third time were Harry and Ron who had quickly left to grab something to eat for the ride. When they made it back there was no car and Hermione only noticed that her boyfriend and best friend were missing fifteen minutes later.

As a result the group of six rushed to the platform, pushing their luggage through the passage and quickly disposing of it. The Hogwarts Express prepared for departure. The four quickly secured a compartment and squished to the windows, waving their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until christmas came around. Ginny promised to write more and was reminded to concentrate on her N.E.W.T. properly this year.

Finally out of the station they immediately collapsed into their seats completely exhausted. The Hogwarts Express quickly picked up pace and rolled towards their destination.

"Thank god we were on time. Mom would have had our heads if we were late."

"We three could have apparated to Hogsmeade. I could have taken Ginny with me."

"They would still had our heads, Harry. You should know them by now. And besides I like the hours during the ride." Ron grinned.

"It would have been disastrous if we had failed to arrive on time, boys. Now would you quiet down a bit? I need to catch up with my mail. I still haven't written back to my parents."

Ron and Harry simply shrugged it off. Hermione to a tee.

"At that notion I will have to excuse myself too. I will go and look for my friends. They should be somewhere around here..." And just as that Ginny was out the door leaving the Golden Trio by themselves.

"Well,... let's eat. The Honeydukes Express trolley should be here soon too."

"I concur! What have you grabbed from the kitchen Harry?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and concentrated on her letters. And like that one hour passed with pleasant chatter and food. When the trolley lady opened the cabin door.

"Anything from the trolley, my dear?"

"Yes! Every flavor beans five times please, Jelly slugs, ten Chocolate frogs and-"

"How much are you planning to eat Harry!? That's disgusting!"

"I'm buying enough to have some to spare in Hogwarts, 'Mione. Would you stop patronizing me?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose.

"I'm still saying it's disgusting. No matter. Hurry up. We wouldn't want to be late." She stood and headed to the door.

"Umm, Hermione?" The two watched her confused.

"Being late for what?"

"I can't believe you two! No wonder you suggested apparating! Have you forgotten that me and you Harry are this years Head Boy and Girl? And you Ron were named Quidditch captain against all expectations! We need to go to the meeting in the front wagon. Hurry up!" And just like that she was gone.

"What does she mean 'against all expectations'?! I secured us the cup fifth year! I will be a damn good captain!" Ron mumbled faintly, clearly put off. "Come on, say something too, Harry. That's no way to treat her boyfriend is it?!"

"I'm not butting into your relationship problems Ron. It will only be turned against me later anyway... I'm only saying, I'm damn glad that Hermione is my friend. This would have gotten really embarrassing otherwise." Harry mumbled back, feeling torn between laughing and tearing at his hair. What a nice start of duty.

Ron only nodded anxiously and lead the way. They had to squeeze their way part the trolley lady and her trolly. Harry nearly embraced the witch, pressed against the wall. They quickly made their way to the meeting place.

* * *

Draco leaned against the cool window glass and closed his eyes. The train rattled slightly underneath him, bringing him closer to Hogwarts and with a bit of luck also closer to his soul mate. After the disastrous party he had raged and screamed as none of the assembled guests had been able to fill the hole in his chest. After completely exhausting himself he collapsed onto bed and was given a calming potion which allowed him dreamless sleep for one night. He turned and searched for his mate still half asleep, only to find himself alone in bed as all the mornings and nights before. The rude awakening in his bed was all the more harsher the next morning, after the decisive failure.

But his mate had stayed in England and after two weeks time Draco finally allowed himself to relax a bit. The constant knowledge of his mate close by has done wonders for his health. Already at the party had he had enough strength to stand and attend it. In the days after, good care, uninterrupted sleep and fulfilling meals had helped him to feel like himself again. Only in the mornings was he far too aware of his solitude and so he learned to fear the awakening.

His last hope was now the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was highly possible for his mate to be one of its students and maybe, just maybe Draco would find him there. He was startled out of his thoughts when the cabin door slammed open and his father came rushing in.

"The service here is dreadful! I can't believe how far down the ladder this school has come!-" He mumbled incoherently. After listening to the first few curses Draco turned away again and cut his fathers voice out, admiring the landscape outside the window.

"Have you gone mute Draco!?" Nope, he was still needed.

"Calm down father. A Malfoy is attending it, so there are bound to be some witches who decided to grace the school with their presence. A Malfoy heir wouldn't have someone lowly as his mate."

Lucius sniggered.

"Most likely. But you never know with veela... You shouldn't talk about witches by the way. How did your mother phrase it...'Love knows no bounds nor genders' or something like that."

Now it was Draco's time to scowl at his father.

"If that's the case, you should prepare for a muggle-born to be my mate, father."

They both set there in silence for a while. No matter how hard they tried to find Draco's mate, he himself and his parent even more so, feared who it might be. A veela's choice was completely unpredictable after all. After a while Lucius decided to compromise.

"Should we both simply pray that your mate is a beautiful, intelligent and pure-blooded witch then? Pure-blooded and witch with the most emphasis."

He knew Lucius was only trying to cheer him up and instill some hope in him and Draco was already nodding as he realized that he didn't agree. He looked his father in the eyes to put more force into his words.

"In the beginning I didn't even have the time to consider who it might be and now I don't really care anymore. I just want to find him, make him fall back in love with me and keep him with me forever. My mate being female, pure-blooded and preferably a Slytherin would help achieve those, but I really just want to find him... It's been three months now and I..."

He gazed out of the window again. He couldn't remember when his goals had changed so much. On his seventeenth birthday he was born anew. Now he had to consider that the word 'mud-blood' isn't allowed to be used anymore, as his mate could be muggle-born. And he refused to pick fights in order to not accidently anger the mate he didn't even know yet.

Some part of him screamed that he was a Malfoy heir, one of the most prestige families in all of Europe. But another part of him, the stronger side, had already arranged itself with the knowledge of being a veela. He accepted his new appearance, his voice, the new found additional magical power, just as he accepted the fact that he had a mate. He was ready.

* * *

Harry stumbled into the front wagon. All the prefects and the two of the other quidditch captains had already assembled and waited for them expectantly. Relieved Harry notted that even though they were last they were not late. Wait..

"Where is the second Slytherin prefect and quidditch captain? We are missing two persons aren't we?" Hermione noted who it was who was missing at once.

"No, only one. Draco Malfoy way named prefect and quidditch captain. He will be here shortly I'm sure." Pansy Parkinson gave out from her seat. That smug smile on her face clearly irritated the hell out of the new Head girl, but she and Harry had both had time to adjust to the idea of dealing with them. Draco Malfoy wasn't named the Prince of Slytherin for nothing. He controlled his House since his fourth year in Hogwarts. It was quite clear that he would be selected as prefect. Though inwardly Harry had still allowed himself to hope that he would be spared the nuisance this year.

"Well then. We can't start without him here, so maybe you could go and fetch him. Tardiness costs us too much time. Maybe you should have a talk with your partner." Hermione tried her best to appear neutral.

"Oh, give it a rest and get off your high horse. Draco will come when he wants and nothing can change that."

Before the girls could scratch each others eyes out, the door opened up again.

"Excuse me."

"What?!" Hermione whipped around towards her new prey. If she had hoped it would be Malfoy she was wrong. Blaise Zabini stood in the door frame, looking properly taken aback.

"Um.. This is the prefect meeting right?"

"Yes it is. Are you here with a message from Malfoy, Zabini?" Harry decided it was best to step in after all. Hermione looked like she was right about ready to blow up. Ron had already taken cover, happy to be a captain and have an excuse to leave her side. Zabini looked relieved to switch his attention to Harry too, as he didn't look ready to eat him alive.

"Yeah you got that right. He isn't feeling well and sends me as his replacement. I also have a note here from the headmaster announcing my nomination as quidditch captain of the Slytherins."

"What?!" Pansy was properly appalled.

"He's still the prefect, but he declined and left the quidditch team, because he said he would have enough troubles this year."

"Oh. I see. That makes sense." Pansy was quick to nod. Zabini handed Harry the message and took a seat. Harry instantly handed it over to Hermione. That was her specialty.

"So we are still missing a person. And would you be so kind to explain what it is you are talking about. As head girl I have a right to know if one of the prefects will be preoccupied with something else during the year." Hermione said with as less bite as she could menage.

Pansy raised her artful brow at her question.

"Are you telling me you don't read papers, Granger, or are you simply too stupid to figure it out?"

Harry felt obliged to step in once more before the quarreling could resume again.

"Sorry, but we're not up to the latest news maybe. We were traveling in Europe for two months and only got the most important notices. Could you fill us in? For the same reasons as Hermione just mentioned."

And actually like that Pansy decided to degrade herself and explain. Harry suspected the gossip was actually already lying on the tip of her tongue. The poor girl was practically bursting with the need to share the news.

"You should read more then. It was the hottest news all through summer. Draco's mother even went so far as to post an announcement in the Prophet. The news were written on the front page! Rita Skiter-"

Now it was Harry's turn to snort.

"Rita Skiter?! You actually read her stuff? No wonder we don't know of it then. I would only read her articles under acute torture. You have to worry about getting eye cancer from the smut she calls journalism."

That effectively shut up Pansy. Not bothering anymore she pouted and turned her eyes away. Harry knew an apology would probably make her talk again, but he had had enough of being the reasonable one around. No thanks, Herm could have that role, thank you. He looked to her and shrugged.

"Well... I guess, we should start without him then. The notice from Dumbledor seems right. I shall hold you responsible, Zabini, to relaying him everything later." Hermione chewed unsurely at her lower lip.

"The notice may be right, but Malfoy could very well be pretending his illness. Otherwise he wouldn't be on the train. Shall I go and check on our favorite Slytherin, Herm?" Harry was hoping he would get the task. Not only would he partly escape the meeting, but he would also get to sabotage Malfoy's plans. He was gleeful at the prospects.

"That would be for the best. You do that, Harry." Hermione nodded firmly. "Where is his compartment?"

Pansy only snorted and Zabini back in his stride followed her example and ignored the head girl. He would learn better than doing that, Harry thought, looking forward to it already.

Without waiting any longer he slipped out of the wagon and went on the hunt. This will be fun.

* * *

Draco was still sitting completely lifeless in his compartment staring out the window. His father had gotten a book out and read silently.

Draco really liked riding in the train. It was a time to relax, catch up with friends and mentally prepare for another year at school. The rattling cradled him into half asleep-half awake state. So the opening of the door really irritated him as he wasn't expecting anyone.

"Would you like something, sweetie?"

In the open door stood the trolley lady. She was staring somewhat dreamily at him, quite surely ensnared by his beauty. He was getting used to this treatment already. At the party the older witches caressed his hair with happy smiles on their faces as if he was still a small child. He was irritated by it at first but quickly had realized that that petting was still a lot better than some other advances. Younger guests seemed to constantly bump into him, witches tried to press their bodies against him when dancing and some wizards placed their hands on his arm sliding them down and looking him deep into his eyes. He thought that he would like the extra attention, but he was used to it and simply took it as it came naturally. The grabbing and petting however all simply irritated him and made him want to punch them. They weren't his mate and as such they could fuck off. When a witch had tried to kiss him, he had to hold himself back, not to hex her. The only thing holding him back was the rule of hospitality that promised security to all guests.

"No, we don't need anything." Lucius Malfoy declared with his emotionless voice without looking up. Irritated at his father for making decisions for him Draco changed his opinion.

"Yes, please. I want some."

He stood up and went to look and choose some sweets. Now that he thought about it he really wouldn't mind some. He took some beans and a chocolate frog. Faintly a fragrance drifted past his nose. He instantly closed his eyes and tried to locate where the delicious smell was coming from. He felt his mouth water at it. Opening his eyes he noticed that he was smelling the shoulder of the trolley lady. Which was kinda embarrassing. The witch was eyeing him with deluded pupils and leaned closer to him as if for a kiss.

Draco quickly backed away.

"I would like these please." He quickly paid, closed the door and turned to his father with slightly red colored cheeks and blazing eyes.

"He's here!" He couldn't help feeling excited at the thought. They were right to hope for his mate to attend Hogwarts. He was here on the train! His father eyed him suspiciously.

"What?"

"He's here. My mate is here!" Draco repeated wild with exitement. He sat down on the opposite side, looking at his father with a big grin splitting his face.

"Your mate is here?" Lucius put the book aside and leaned forward exited as well.

"Yes! He' here on the train!"

"Draco, calm down! I thought he wasn't on the platform?"

"His smell wasn't on the platform, I swear! But the trolley lady has my mates smell on her! Even thought only faintly, it's there!"

"Alright. No need to rush. Sit down, Draco, please."

Draco hasn't even realized that he had stood up again. His head screamed at him to act and find his mate. He was so near.. on the train... Undecidedly Draco remained standing, shifting his gaze between the door and his father.

"Draco, try to be reasonable. The train is full of people and all of them already know you are a veela. Do you really want to run around the train on the search for your mate and embarrass yourself in front of all of them?!"

Yes. Yes, it was exactly what he wanted to do. But if he did, he may scare his mate and embarrass him in front of all the students. He didn't want to sabotage his chances, before even having begun his courting and so he slowly forced himself to sit down again.

"Good. Now stay here and wait. The conductor should have a list of all passengers ready. He will give it to me if I explain."

"Why? He's here! All we have to do is follow the fragrance."

"And allow you to make a fool of yourself, smelling each person who had come int contact with your mate? No, thanks. There is no need to rush anymore. We will discreetly make investigations and find out who it is. Discreetly. You hear me, Draco? You had time to adjust to the idea of having a destined soul mate. But your mate has no idea what's coming onto him. Completely clueless. We will probably need to rely on the old geezers help..."

"On Dumbledore? Why? Aside from the lodging, he has no reason to become involved." Draco felt conflicted. Even after the war he just couldn't drop his distrust towards his headmaster. The geezer just had a way about him to piss him off.

"We will probably need help from him to come into contact with your mate. Dumbledore will give your request more credibility and force. It will probably serve to additionally reassure your mate. Narzissa is already at Hogwarts discussing everything with him anyway."

Grudgingly Draco nodded his consent. He thought that it might have been hoping for too much to leave Dumbledor out of his business. It might help.

"Now that we have agreed on this, stay here in the cabin and wait till I come back. Don't you dare leave the compartment, Draco!"

And with that Lucius was out the door.

* * *

Lucius made his way to the front wagon, shoving the students standing in the corridor to the side. Then a certain person stopped him in his tracks.

"Potter." He spat. Lucius made a face as if had swallowed something particularly disgusting.

"Malfoy." Harry answered with the same disgust in his voice. The war may be over, but he still distrusted and disliked the older Malfoy.

They mustered each other and then moved to the sides, passing each other, avoiding further contact. Harry briefly wondered what Lucius was doing here on the train, only to move on to the wagon he saw the older Malfoy exit. And sure as that he found the person he searched for. He opened the door of the cabin.

"Malfoy."

* * *

Lucius hurriedly returned with the list in one hand. He didn't like hurrying as that was unbecoming of a Malfoy but he was worried about his son doing something foolish. If only he had known how right he was. He was greeted with an astonishing sight.

"Get your fucking son off of me, Malfoy!"


	5. Gone Head over Heals

**5. Gone Head over Heals**

Harry made his way through the train looking into the compartments, greeting his friends and greeting staring first years. Suddenly Lucius Malfoy appeared in his way, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"Potter." He spat. Lucius made a face as if had come across something particularly disgusting.

"Malfoy." Harry answered with the same disgust apparent in his voice. The war may be over, but he still distrusted and disliked the older Malfoy.

They mustered each other and then moved to the sides, passing each other, avoiding further contact. Harry briefly wondered what Lucius was doing here on the train, only to move on to the wagon he saw the older Malfoy exit. And sure as that he found the person he searched for. He opened the door of the cabin.

"Malfoy." He greeted without knocking first.

* * *

Draco looked out out the window and absentmindedly chewed on a bead with the flavor of mint. A pretty boring flavor but it tasted good. Thats when the door opened up again.

He turned his head toward the new intruder, prepared to trash him to the ground. But instead Draco froze with his lips slightly parted and no sound escaping it.

"Malfoy."

The first thing he noticed was that delicious mouth-watering smell that came pouring in. The odor was the aroma of flowers, a fresh summer breeze with something earthy mixed in and with a note of of something else he couldn't put his finger on. The only thing he knew was that it was the most pleasant aroma he had ever smelled in his life. The fragrance seemed to envelop him like cotton filling his lungs and making him swallow hard. His whole body tingled and prickled pleasurably at the sensation.

Before him stood Harry Potter and he didn't look nor sound particularly friendly either. He scowled at Draco, clearly awaiting some sort of answer, but the only thing to mind was how amazingly beautiful Harry looked. Harry?

"Malfoy?! What are you gaping at me for? You should close that mouth of yours unless you want a fly to come by to visit." Harry lifted an eyebrow, effectively emphasizing his green eyes.

Self consciously Draco closed his mouth and continued looking. That face was simply mesmerizing. No force in the world could tear his gaze from those emerald eyes. They were black-rimmed by long lashes, making the color appear deeper and somewhat unearthly.

"Malfoy! Are you listening to me? Lost your tongue?" Harry clearly sounded irritated. Wanting to appease him, Draco said the first thing to come to mind.

"Where are your glasses?"

The look of astonishment he received was priceless.

"Um, I-I got magical contact lenses from Herm on my birthday. W-Why ...do you ask?" Harry stuttered through his answer.

"Your eyes look really dazzling. Did anyone tell you that?" The words just naturally flowed out of his mouth. Draco didn't even stop to think, taking deep breaths instead and looking at Harry. He smiled warmly at his mate, his happiness spilling over and reaching out. Distantly a part whispered that he should look out since that wasn't his happiness spilling over but his allure. The voice was quickly silenced, Draco's attention focused on Harry alone.

Draco thought Harry looked simply stunning with that confused expression on and the faint blush coloring his cheeks. It was far less visible than Draco's own, because Harry had such wonderfully milk chocolate tanned skin. He wondered briefly if it would taste as good as it looked, bringing more color to his own face.

"Um, Malfoy? I heard you were ill, seems like you didn't lie. Do you need something?"

"You." Came the immediate reply.

"Me? What do you need me to do? Should I get you something?" Harry came in, looking around.

That, as the sane part of Draco realized, was the worst decision ever since the door automatically slid close behind Harry, effectively cutting off the fresh air supply. The compartment filled itself with Harry's delicious smell and Draco took even deeper breaths. He felt light headed and a bit drunk with that scent. To keep control he closed his eyes and lowered his head. The voice and smell were bad enough as it was already. He wanted to just shoot all concerns to hell and beyond. It was hard not to look, not to touch, hold him, kiss him and lick him all over...

Draco's breathing became fitful and it suddenly became really warm. He felt like his insides were on fire, burning him up. He gulped and licked his lips trying to think of something to say. Anything really to break the tension. How come that only six years after had he realized how wonderfully gorgeous Harry looked.

"Malfoy?" Harry kneeled down in front of him and placed his hand under Draco's chin, lifting up his face to look the other in the eye. "You okay?"

The concern in Harry's face and voice sent the veela part in Draco cheering but even more so the touch. Every sense in his body concentrated on that feeling on his face. It felt like faint impulses shot out from there, warm and comforting. Now with his mate finally so near and actually touching him, voicing concern for him, the big and deep hole in Drago's chest seemed to finally fill up. He wanted to look his mate in the eye, smile at him and tell him he's alright. That he is happy and ask him if it would be alright for him to stay.

And so Draco opened his eyes to do exactly that and was met with warm deep-green eyes right next to his. Harry was close. Too close.

Draco gulped again. When he drew closer and forced his eyes shut again. His hands were already encircled around Harry's neck, drawing himself to him, pushing against him.

He felt Harry lose balance and fall backwards onto the floor, pulling Draco along. But as his mate didn't give any sound of pain, Draco simply concentrated on the bliss he felt, lying in his mates arms, pressed flush against his body. He buried his head in Harry's neck, inhaling his aroma and nuzzling deeper into the crook of Harry's neck. It felt so right. His head fitted into the crook as if it was made just for him. He purred deep in his throat at the sensation. Harry was his and at that moment Draco realized he would never be letting anyone take him away.

That was also the moment when the door slid open. Though truth to be told Draco barely registered the interference and he honestly didn't care as long as he got to stay by Harry.

* * *

Harry stood in the door frame and looked at his arch enemy. Malfoy didn't look sick, but the way he stared at him was somewhat strange.

Five months had gone by since they saw each other last, after the final battle of the war. During that time Draco Malfoy changed quite a bit. Astonished Harry realized that the Slytherin was now nearly as tall as him, which robbed him of the privilege to condescendingly look down on the other during their fights.

"Malfoy?! What are you gaping at me for? You should close that mouth of yours unless you want a fly to come by to visit." He stared at Malfoy expecting a bratty retort, but nothing came.

Self consciously Malfoy closed his mouth and continued looking. That gaze was slightly disturbing especially as the retort he was expecting was still missing. Malfoy looked at him as if he saw him for the first time that moment. Harry couldn't remember a time when that face wasn't spoiled by Malfoy's rotten smile, smirk or scowl. Now his features were soft and that transformed his enemy's face completely. Harry always thought that Malfoy looked easy on the eye but right now he looked simply gorgeous, Harry admitted to himself. Too bad his angelic face hid the soul of the satan in disguise.

"Malfoy! Are you listening to me? Lost your tongue?" Harry began to grow irritated. They both shared a business, trying to make the other more miserable each time they met. So it wasn't any fun dealing out shots if nothing came back.

"Where are your glasses?"

Harry could only gape at him, completely taken by surprise.

"Um, I-I got magical contact lenses from Herm on my birthday. W-Why ...do you ask?" Harry stuttered through his answer. Was something wrong with Malfoy after all? What was up with that random question?

"Your eyes look really dazzling. Did anyone tell you that?"

Now Harry knew something was way wrong. Unless this was some new tactic to embarrass him by embarrassing himself first, which wouldn't make any sense as the damage would be even on both sides. Ashamed, Harry realized that the compliment had brought blood rushing to his face. He couldn't help it, since Malfoy was looking him in the eye, looking and sounding so sincere. No one had ever told him something like that before.

"Um, Malfoy? I heard you were ill, seems like you didn't lie. Do you need something?"

"You." Came the immediate reply.

"Me? What do you need me to do? Should I get you something?" Harry came in, looking around. He could have ignored his concern for the other, but reckoned it was alright to feel that way, as the situation was pretty bizarre as it was thus needing bizarre measures.

Malfoy's breathing sped up. He licked his lips absentmindedly, closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Malfoy?" Harry kneeled down in front of him and placed his hand under Malfoy's chin, lifting up his face to look the other in the eye. "You okay?"

After a while Malfoy opened up his eyes and stared right back at him in the eye. Those eyes seemed to burn through him, setting him ablaze and sending his heart into gallop. Malfoy really had changed since last time. Harry was too preoccupied the last time to look close, but now at this range, it was obvious that Malfoy's eyes had changed color. Harry was sure they were a cold ashen shade before, but now the iron had melted into a magnificent silver maelstrom. The streams were swirling and pulling Harry in.

Harry saw Draco gulp as his Adam's apple moved visibly. When he noticed the other draw closer and close his eyes. That took Harry completely unprepared and he froze in shock. Before comprehension hit him, Draco's hands were already around his neck, drawing them closer to each other and pushing against him.

Harry felt like he had received a short circuit as his brain ceased to function.

His knees buckled and he lost his balance, falling backwards onto the floor, pulling Draco along into his lap. When stumbling down he had instinctually lifted his arms to secure Draco with strange protectiveness. He was still out of it and so Harry proceeded sitting on the floor with his arms around Draco. Wait, since when were they on first name basis?! That was Draco fucking Malfoy sitting in his lap.

Harry found it somehow hard to think in that position. Draco was pressed flush against his body with his head buried in the crook of Harry's neck, inhaling his aroma and nuzzling closer. It felt ticklish and good at the same time. He looked adorable like that. And his shiny platinum blond hair with its silver highlights smelled sooo good. He wondered what shampoo Draco used to achieve this smell.

Harry got startled out of his daze when he heard Draco purr deep in his throat. He actually purred!

That feeling of lightheadedness was clearly caused by a shortage of air. Nobody could deny that Malfoy was nearly choking him. That also explained why he had thought of the asshole as Draco.

That was also the moment when the door slid open. Harry felt anger wash over him at the interruption, at the same time he registered that that was the wrong reaction. There stood his savior who would keep him from further embarrassing himself. It didn't matter at the moment that it was also the same guy who had tried to kill him numerous times before.

"Get your fucking son off of me, Malfoy!"

* * *

Lucius stood there, dead in his tracks for nearly a whole minute, before his head registered that he needed to act. To return only to find his son hugging Harry Potter was surprising at the very least. But the worst part was the allure hanging heavy in the air. He saw many compartment doors open and students peering outside with glazed eyes. Worse, he was feeling it too. Feeling jealous of Harry to be hugged by his own son was disturbing in many aspects. And him feeling weak in the knees had definitely nothing to do with his son's attractiveness.

"Draco!"

To avoid further drawing attention to them, he decided to enter the sexually overloaded compartment at his own peril and slammed the door shut behind him. He turned away from the males tangled together on the floor and started casting charms.

"Silencio. Salvia Hexia. .." For safety measure he hung his jacket over the glass, to prevent someone seeing the scene below. Only then did he turn around.

"Draco, stop the allure immediately or I will use force!" Draco growled threateningly deep in his throat as a response, but complied anyway. He hadn't mean to use the allure. It had activated subconsciously, as the veela in him tried to ensnarl his mate. As long as his father had sense to not try coming inbetween them, he didn't care enough to resist.

"Draco, let go of Potter this instant!" This reminded Draco of his believe that the moment you hold out a hand, your whole arm will get chopped off next. This time the anger inside Draco was much more hotter and real and he tensed, ready to lash out, if his father tried to take Harry away from him.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Lucius chewed on his lip absentmindedly. He knew Draco wouldn't listen to him, but he couldn't leave the situation to unfold. He looked at Potter, who continued glaring at him.

"He won't listen to me in his state, Potter. You seem to be still holding on to your senses, so please order him to stop and use force if he can't. I will step outside for a minute again, so call me when you're ready."

"Wait! Why would he listen to me of all people? Malfoy!" But it was no use. The door was closed once more and the older Malfoy gone.

Resigning himself, he collected himself and ordered as the adult had suggested. Though he had no hope for success. Malfoy was holding on for his dear life and Harry found it really hard to breathe.

"Malfoy. Get off of me."

* * *

Author's notion: I actually had celebrated my 20th birthday on the 21 of May and as I was lying in my bed reading fan fiction in the evening, I decided to check out the Harry Potter fan fiction. I like yaoi romances best and loved veela so I immediately went to read them and BAM! I was decided on contributing my own fic :) So after the celebrations were over and the hangover gone, here I am taking my words to action -grins-

So I wanted to thank all of you who like my veela fic and especially the reviewers, encouraging me to write the next chapter! Can't promise to always be so quick to update, but I was and still am flush with time to sit down and write right now, so... why delay? Special thanks go out to natsuki23 as she was my first reviewer, directly on the first day. I sat down and wrote the next chapter immediately after reading your comment :x _thank you ^^ _

Draco: Stop wasting time already! When will I finally get to ravish Harry!? Or Harry me?!

Cross: Stop bullying me! My fic, my pace... you can dream of it till it happens, horny slytherin..

He's really mean to me at times... ( puts the laptop away as punishment )


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